Gbobge albert eyoh



G. A. LYON.

ADJUSTABLE AUTOMOBILE BUFFER.

-APPLICATION FILED FER. 'l'. 1918.

Patented Dec. 23, MM).

ononon nmnn nvon, on nmnnnnimn nnnnsrnv menton To all whom z't mayconcerto:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ERT LYON,

n citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadeiphia, .county ofPhiladelphio, State of Pennsylvania, have mode et certain new and usefui1nvention Relatin to Adjnstnbie AutomobiloBnfiers, ct W ich thefoilowing is a specificotion, token in connection with the accompanyingdrowing.

]ihis invention relates to resilient ontomoibile bufiers of the generaltype-covered ioy the Lyon Patent 1,198,246, ojt September 12, 1916. Thebutter may comprise two resi1ient strips of spring stee1 havingattaching membersfl 0J any suitatoie shape to be secnred to theautomobile trame or othcn ports of a vehicie and also hovingtransversely extending impact receiving members preferably hoving thiradjacent inner ends approaching each other and snbstontioiiy in line andaiso having intermediot; resiiieht cnrved portions, such as one endioops. The impact receiving memoets or portions oiE the spring stripsmoy oe convenienfliy connected toy ioemg :1amped or boite-d to one ormore resiiient strip reinforcin members ormnged on one or both sides oft1e impact receiving members to rigidiy connect t]he sonne and one ormore 03E these reinforcing members may ttdvantngeosly ibe formed withanoiining finnge projecting over and more or less en titB gog1ng thevertical edges of the impact receiving members so a to import additronoiverticai rigidity to the connection. The reintorcing ondj cionnectingmemfcers mny if desired,be bolted to the coperatingimpoct receivingmemhcrs of the tonflcr and con meeting bolts moi pose through smtd fleopenings, such as holes or siots in the renntorcing memters and thronghotfiner open ings, such, for instance, as a sonos ot odjustingconnecting hoies in the onde ot tho impact receiving members so that themdth ot tile bufter and the distance between its ottnching memoers canbe adjusted to fit nutomobiies having trame members iocnted ntdifiierent distances apart.

in the occompnnying drnwing sho w1ng in n somewhot diagrammotic wny on1Hustrntive embodiment 01' the invention,

Figure 1 is et top view of tile ibufier.

Fig. 2 is it dingrnmm&tic perspective view showing the diderent parts 1nsepornted position; and v Fig. 3 is .a.. tranSverse sectionol viewthrough one 01 the coi1necting colts in Fig. 1.. The bufier may becomposed of a. nber of strips 01: resilient moterial, such as temperedspring steel, and it is desimble to have these strips et leastthroughont such portionsns are subject to considemiol0vertient bendingforces given o greote'r vertical Width thon thickness so asconsideroioiy to make them verticaily rigid Whiie resilientiy yieidingto a much greater extent in hormontni directions to obsorb coliisionimpacts. JFvvo such strips are hown in Figs. 1 and 2 os hovingpracticafly simi1nr contour and comprising ottnching members of anysnitabie shepe and construction to be connected to the automobile trameor other ceiving member and edjustabty snpported in connection therewithFor this purpose one or more reintorcring connecting members preferabiyot resiii ont chamcter may be ciamped or boited by any suitabieconnecting devices to the co operating inner ends of the impactreceiving members. .These reintorcing members= mny bc formed of springsteei strip and may be orranged on one or both sides or the impactrecciving members so as to simuitaneonsiy connect the same and torm nmuitiple thickness reinforoed -front portion of the bnfier which mayodvnntageonsly extend snbstantialiy thronghout the distance between theattnching members or automo bile trame members to which they areconnected As indicated in the drnwing resiii- Y ont reintorcing members7, 8 which moy ibe ot spring steel strip moy be secureiy connected orcinmped on i)oth sides et the im pnct recoiving memioors ne b snitnbieconnoeting deviceeon boite 9 111 vvch mny titi mon

"eXtend throughsquare or polygonal conof the bolts with respect to thisfront member. The connectingbolts may extend through the connectingholes 18, 19 in the back reinforcing member 8 and also where theadjustment of the bufier mmbers is to be secured-in this way throughSuitable adjusting connecting openings in the impact receiving membersallovving their lateral adjustment, such, for example, as by havingthese connecting bolts eXtend through any one of the series of adjustingconnecting holes 16, 17 in one or both of the interposed impactreceiving members of the main buffer strips. In this way sufficientrelative adjustment of the width of the bufer and its attachimg memberscan be secured so as to cover the extreme range of width in the usualcommercial automobile frames and at the same time by having a singlehole in both the front and back reinforcing members within which theconnecting bolt fits rather closely, the parts are more or lessprevented from moving or working* loose under rnning conditions. Asindicated in Figs. 1 and 3 the connecting bolts may with advantage beformed with munded heads so as to give a neat and finished appearance inconnection With the front reinforcing member which like the.bolt headsmay be v nickel-plated if desired. One or more nuts 11 may be arrangedon each of the bolts and look washers or other retaining devices 12 maybe employed, if desired. The connection between the coperatingbficr members may be given additional Vertical rigidity by forming. a verticalalining .flange,

such as 13, on one or more of the reinforciIlgmembers soas t0 overlapthe adjacent portions of the impact receiving members and be tightlyheld in connection therewith by the connecting -b0ltS or devices So asto minimze or prevent undesirable vertical movement between these parts.Also by arranging this alining flange at the top of the frontreinforcing member it may serve to .substantially conceal the openingbetween the inner ends of the impact receiving members of the bufler.These reinforcing members may, lik the other bufler strips be formedwith the usual rounded edges which give a more pleasing .appearan to thedevice and the alining flange may of course be formed by bending overone edge of the corresponding reinforcing member bfiore it is hardenedand tempcred;

This invention has been described in connect1on with a number of1llustrat1ve forms, pro ort1ons, parts, arrangements, materials,

me ods of connection and use, to the details of which disclosu1e theinvention is not of course to be limited,- since What is claimed as neWand what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is set forth in theappended claims.

I claim- 1. The automobile buffer comprising two similar resilientstrips each having a rearwardly extending attaching member, anintermediate laterally extending 100p member and a front impactreceiving member having considerably greater vertical widththanth1ckness and provided with connecting openings, resilient stripfront reinforcing connecting members to be secured on both sides of saidimpact receiving members to connect the same and hold them insubstantially horizontal alinement with each other and formed withconnecting holes, and connecting bolts having square shanks passingthrough said holes in said reinforcing and impact receiving members toclamp the same together, one of said reinforcing membcrs being formedwith an alining fiange adapted to coperate With the upper edgcs of saidimpact receiving members to hold them in substantial vertical alinementand substantially conceal the space between them When said bufi'er ismounted on an automobile.

2. The automobile bufier comprising two similar resilient strips eachhaving a rearwardly extending attaching member, an intermediatelaterally extending p member and a front impact receiving member havingconsiderably greater vertical width than 100 thickness and resilientstrip front reinforcing connecting members to be secured on both sidesof said impact receiving members to connect the same and hold them insubstantial horizontal alinement with each 1 other and formed withconnecting holes, and connecting devices coperating with saidreinforcing and impact receiving members t0 clamp the same t0gether, oneof said r ein forcing members being formed with an alining flangeadapted to coperate with the edges of said impact receiving members tohold them in suhstantial vertical alinement.

3. The automobile bufier comprising two resilient strips each having anattaching member, a laterally extending 100p member and an impactreceiving member having considerably greater vertical width thanthickness and said impact recei'ving members being provided with aseries of adjusting connectim; openings, resilient strip frontremforcing connecting members to be secured alongside said impactreceiving memand impact rccciving mcmbcrs to clamp the same togcthcr,one of said rcinforcing members bcing formcd With an alining flan eadaptcd to coi pcratc with the dgcs of sa1d impact receiv1ng mcmbers tohold them in substantial vertical alincmcnt.

4:. The automobile buficr comprising two rcsilient strips cach having anattaching mcmber and an impact rcccivin mcmbcr having considerablygreatcr Vertical width than thickhcss and said impact recciving membcrsbeing provided with a scrics cf adjnsting connecting opcnings, rcsilientstrip front rcinforcing conncctmg mcmbers to be sccurcd alongsidc saidimpact rcciving mcmbcrs to ad iistablgr conncct the same and adapted tocxtcnd across thc impact rcceiving portion of the bufier snbstantiallythroughout thc distance betwecn thc attachiflg mcmbcrs and formcd Withconncoting opcnings, and connccting bolts passing through said opcningsin said reinforcing and impact receiving mcmbcrs to clamp the sametogcther.

5. The automobile baffer comprising two rcsilient strips cach having anattaching membcr and an impact rccciving mcmbcr having considcrablygrcatcr vertical width than thickncss, rcsilient strip front reinforcingconnccting mcmbcrs to ioe securcd longsidc said impact rccciving mcmbcrsto connect the same, one of said rcinforcing mcmbcrs bcing formcd Withan alining flangc adaptcd to copcratcwitb thc edgcs of said impactrccciving mcmbcrs to hold thcm in substantial -vcrtical alincmnt.

6. The aut0mobilc buficr comprising two rcsilicnt strips cach' having arcarwardly cxtcnding attaching mcmbcz, an intcrmcdiate latcrallycxtending loop mcmbcr and a front impact recciving membci* providcd witha scrics ot adjusting connccting holcs,

a rcsilicnt strip front reinforoing member adaptcd to cxtend across thefront" of the bnfier substantially througloout tl1c distance bctwcentl1e attaching mcmbcrs and formed With connccting hol9s, and conncctingbolts passing through said holes in Said re1nforcing and impact recci1ing mcmbcrs t0 clamp thc samc togcthcr, said rcinicrcing mcmbcr beihgformcd with an alining flange adaptcd to copcratc With the cdges of saidimpact reccivingmcmhcrs to hold them in substantial vertical alincmcnt.

7. The automobile buficr comprising two resilicnt strips cach having arcarwardly cxtending attaching membcr, and front impact reccivingmcmbcr, a resilicnt strip front reinforcing mcmbcr adaptcd to cxtcndacross thc front of the buficr substantially throughout the distancebctwccn thc attaching members, and connccting devices co-z ing openings,a resilicnt strip front rcinforcmg mcmbcr adaptcd to cxtcnd.alongsidethe impact rccc1ving mcmbcrs of the bufier substantially throughout thedistance betwecn the attaching membcrs and formcd with conncctingopenings, connccting bolts passing through said opcnings in :oaicl rcin'forcing and impact rccciving mcmbcrs to clamp the samc togcthcr, sa1drcinforcing member bcing ;ormcd with alining portions adapted tocoperate With the cdgcs of said impact rc civing mc1nbcrs to hold thcmin substantial vertical alincmcnt.

9. The automobile buficr comprising two spring stccl strips cach havingan attaching mcmber and an impact rccciving membcr said impact rcceivingmcmlocrs "ocing provided with a comics o;t adjusting conncctingopenings, a'rcsilient sti*ip front rcinf'orcing membcr adaptcd to cxtcndalongside the impact rcceiVing mcmloers cf thc bufier and connectingdcviccs copcrating With said reinf0rcing and impact rccciving mcmbc1s toclamp tl1c samc togcther, said rcinforcing mcmber bcing formcd withalining portions adapted to c0pratc with the cdgcs of said impactreceivmg members to hold thcm in substantial Vertical alincmcnt.

cnoaon ALBERT mon.

Witncsscs: HARRY L. DUNCAN, JESSE B. KAY.

